


homin | stay

by plincess_cho (ai_hao)



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:19:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8899084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ai_hao/pseuds/plincess_cho
Summary: Yunho asks Changmin while he's stayed all these years.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by kawaiipickle talking about Yunho's famous saying: "If you're going to give up, give up now."

At first, Changmin stays solely out of spite.

He first sees Jung Yunho in the trainee cafeteria a few days into his training.

Changmin sits down at a table with Jongwoon and Hyukjae and proceeds to scarf down his food like he hasn’t eaten in weeks. He comes up for air when he hears peals of laughter ring out across the cafeteria and looks over at the table in question. The laughter comes from a boy with chubby cheeks and crooked teeth that Changmin hasn’t met yet. He’s sitting with two skinny kids who are in the same dance training as Changmin, Donghae and Jungsoo. Jungsoo says something else and the chubby kid breaks into another chorus of raucous laughter that echoes around the room.

“Who is that?” Changmin asks, motioning with his chopsticks.

Jongwoon looks over. “Who?”

“The kid with the cheeks and spiky hair.”

“Oh him? That’s Jung Yunho,” Jongwoon replies. Changmin notices there’s no _hyung_ attached at the end. “He’s intense. I heard he used to be homeless but finally was able to join the company.”

“Woah,” Changmin replies. 

“He’s a really intense dancer, and he says he even choreographs stuff,” Hyukjae says. “But his dances are a little weird.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to be the first trainee to choreograph!” Jongwoon replies, nudging Hyukjae’s shoulder. “I bet Yunho will debut first. All the teachers talk about him.”

“Really?” Changmin asks.

“Really,” Jongwoon replies.

*

Somehow, Changmin ends up not only meeting Yunho, but being put into a group with him. Changmin isn’t certain, but he suspects Yunho resents him for his easy entry into the company. After all, debuting as an idol has been Yunho’s dream for basically forever, and he’s worked really hard to get to where he is now. Changmin on the other hand is still not sure _what_ he wants to do with his life and is partially still here because his mom hasn’t met Boa yet. 

Yunho is relentless in dance practices. He makes them run choreography until everything is perfect, which takes forever because Changmin _still_ hasn’t figured out how to use his limbs properly. He tries his hardest to copy the choreographer’s instructions, but sometimes his body just refuses to cooperate.

Every time he makes a mistake, he can feel Yunho’s eyes burning into him.  
Yunho corners him after one particularly grueling practice. Changmin hadn’t been feeling it at all and had made constant mistakes as a result. But he had _tried_ , and isn’t that was counts?

“Look,” Yunho says gruffly. “If you’re going to quit, just do it now.”

“What?” Changmin asks, blinking in confusion.

“I said, if you’re going to quit, just do it now. I’m committed to this with everything I have, and I can’t let someone like you get in the way.”

“Someone like me?”

“I know you got in here on sheer luck. You’re not as committed to this like everyone else. Which is fine. Maybe your life has other plans. But if you’re not going to go through with this, with DBSK, then it’s better that you leave now so you don’t cause as much trouble for the rest of us.”

Changmin is stunned into silence. Yunho asks him if he understands, and Changmin just nods mutely. He watches Yunho grab his bag and head out the door. Changmin feels something boiling up inside of him. _I’m not quitting,_ he decides. _I’m going to commit to this with my all, if only just to spite that incorrigible Jung Yunho._

And so he does. 

*

They go on to become Asia’s golden boys, and each interviewer finds an odd sense of satisfaction from asking them the same question over and over.

_“What did you decide to become a singer?”_

Everyone else has inspired stories about dreaming about this since they were young, and Changmin’s glad they run out of time before he gets a chance to answer. What to even say? _I got in here on a whim and am here to prove this hyung wrong?_ Not exactly the answer that they’re looking for, even if it’s true.

***

Then, Changmin stays out of necessity.

They’re lounging in the dressing room waiting for a filming and everyone is passing the time by playing games. Yunho excuses himself to use the restroom and returns with a bottle of orange juice. Nobody really notices as he chugs the bottle and wipes the back of his mouth with his hand. 

But then he starts coughing and reaches for a napkin. Changmin looks up as he pulls the napkin away to reveal a bright red splotch.

_Blood._

“Hyung, are you alright?” he asks, standing up from the couch. 

One of the staff members reaches for the discarded bottle and gives it a sniff. “I think he’s been poisoned!” she exclaims.

Within moments, Yunho is whisked out of the dressing room by an EMT team while the rest are left to sit and wait. Changmin fiddles nervously with his phone, snapping the battery in and out of the case. Nobody says anything.

Hours go by with no word, until finally a manager comes in with an announcement.

“He’s going to be fine,” he says.

“What happened?” Jaejoong asks quietly.

“It seems… the orange juice was spiked with super glue.”

 _“Super glue?”_ the four exclaim simultaneously. 

The manager nods, and Changmin feels a tightening in his chest. 

*

Yunho comes home the next day, decidedly subdued. Everyone else hugs him and expresses condolences for his pain, and he smiles in response to every one. But when they’re all back in the dorms away from the staff, Yunho finally lets his smile drop.

And it doesn’t return for several weeks.

The news breaks that the person responsible has turned themselves in. To Changmin’s utter disbelief, Yunho actually _forgives_ her instead of pressing charges. Junsu yells at him for not taking legal action, but Yunho ignores him.

“Let’s try to move on instead,” he says firmly. And the discussion is finished.

*

Until Changmin finds Yunho sitting at the kitchen table alone, staring at ten bottles of orange juice sitting in front of him on the table. He watches as Yunho reaches out a shaky hand to take one of the bottles. He unscrews the lid and raises it to his mouth, but he can’t bring himself to drink it.

Changmin watches this for a few minutes but it’s always the same. Finally, he brings himself to walk into the kitchen. “Hyung?” he says softly.

Yunho looks up and Changmin sees that his eyes are filled with fear. “I can’t,” he whispers. “I have to do it, but I can’t.”

“What are you trying to do?” Changmin asks. He walks closer and realizes the juice bottles are from the same brand as the one that had sent Yunho to the hospital in the first place. It clicks. “Oh.”

Yunho nods. “It’s the only way,” he says. “I can’t go on living in fear.”

Changmin sits down at the table across from Yunho. He grabs for one of the bottles, unscrews the lid, and takes a giant swig. Yunho watches him intently, and Changmin proceeds to drink the entire bottle. He sets the bottle back on the table and wipes his mouth with a napkin. He swallows a few times to show Yunho the drink is fine.

Yunho grabs at the bottle again and takes a deep breath. Changmin nods encouragingly, and Yunho takes a hesitant sniff before raising the drink to his lips. He drinks the entire thing, takes a breath, and reaches for another.

Changmin stays with him until Yunho finishes all the bottles. He sits there, swallowing deeply, staring at the empty bottles. 

“You’re okay, hyung,” Changmin says. He reaches over and pats Yunho’s hand. 

Yunho grabs Changmin’s hand. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Thank you for staying.”

“No problem,” Changmin replies.

“No,” Yunho replies. “Thank you for _always_ staying.”

***

After the split, Changmin stays for Yunho.

He stays because this is Yunho’s dream, because this is their dream. He stays because he can’t imagine doing anything else with anyone else. 

And he stays because Yunho is falling apart.

Yunho spends most of his days out drinking with friends, holed up with some of the Super Junior boys, or hidden away in his room. Changmin hardly sees him anymore, and it’s weird. It’s weird being without someone you’ve spent every single day with for the past five years.

One day, Changmin gets woken up to the sound of knocking at the door. He opens it to find a very drunk Yunho draped over Heechul and a very apologetic looking Donghae. “We tried to stop him, but…”

Changmin just nods and lets them in. Yunho is mumbling nonsense and drooling all over Heechul’s shoulder. The three other boys maneuver him onto Changmin’s couch and then pry themselves free of his strong grasp. 

“Thanks,” Changmin says. “And thanks for not letting him go out.”

Heechul just grimaces in return and leaves with Donghae. “It’ll get better,” Donghae says. “It will.”

Changmin locks the door behind them and turns to find Yunho clinging to one of his throw pillows, mumbling still. Changmin walks closer and realizes that Yunho’s words are actually intelligible.

_“Don’t leave… Please, please don’t leave…”_

His voice sounds so desperate and so mournful that Changmin relocates to the couch next to Yunho. He pulls the pillow out of Yunho’s hands and pulls him into his arms. “I’m not leaving, hyung. I promise.”

“The others promised too,” Yunho replies, resisting Changmin’s embrace. “And they’re gone.”

“But I’m here,” Changmin replies. “I’ll always be here. _I promise_.”

*

Yunho wakes up the next morning decidedly hungover. He lumbers into the kitchen where Changmin is drinking tea and looking over his scripts. Yunho pours himself a mug of hot water and drops a tea bag in before sitting down across from Changmin.

“Thanks,” he mumbles. “For everything.”

***

Yunho asks him why he stays right before enlistment.

“Because you’d die without me,” Changmin replies nonchalantly before sticking a wad of lettuce and meat in his mouth. 

Yunho laughs. “True,” he replies. Today alone Changmin had provided him with an umbrella, lent him his credit card when he’d left his at home, and had let him borrow clothes when Yunho realized he’d forgotten to do laundry. “But seriously. Why did you stay?”

“At first, I stayed out of spite,” Changmin admits. “I wanted so badly to prove you wrong about me. But then…” He takes a deep breath. “I promised I wouldn’t give up on you, and I haven’t. And I won’t. I’m in this for real, hyung.”

Yunho just chuckles. “I’m going to miss you,” he says sadly.

“Yeah,” Changmin replies. “I’m going to miss you too.”

*

They walk back to Yunho’s apartment, both fairly drunk. Yunho slings his arm around Changmin’s shoulders. “Thanks, Changdola,” he says. “Thanks for everything. It means the world to me.”

And that, that is why Changmin stays.


End file.
